The Seahawks released cornerback Cary Williams Monday. Williams, who signed as a free agent in the offseason, started Seattle's first 10 games at right cornerback, replacing Byron Maxwell, who left in free agency.
In Seattle's Week 11 win over San Francisco, however, Williams was replaced in the third quarter by DeShawn Shead, and Shead has since started the past two games, playing well against Pittsburgh and Minnesota.
"I think he's doing a fantastic job," Carroll said of Shead after he had four passes defensed against Pittsburgh. "… There's another guy, he steps up for the opportunity. He comes through in a big way and the guys really rally around him. He's just one of our guys dyed in the wool of being a Seahawk. So the fact that he gets that opportunity and comes through in such a big way just speaks to the kind of player he is, the kind of kid he is, and his dedication to the game, and really dedication to being a great teammate too. He really is that."
With Shead taking over the starting job and Jeremy Lane returning from the physically unable to perform list, the Seahawks had enough cornerback depth the past two games that Williams was inactive on gameday.
"Really, the return of Jeremy--he's had a couple of games now with us--and the emergence of DeShawn Shead, his play has really been good," Carroll said when asked about the roster move. "There's always consideration for special teams and other things that go along with it. Cary's a good football player, and did some good stuff for us, but our guys kind of came back to us and gave us an opportunity to go to them."
Asked what didn't work out with Williams, Carroll said, "It was a short amount of time to try to catch up with all of the real specifics of our technique, but he did a nice job; he progressed with it. But we feel more comfortable with the guys that have been with us, so we made the move."
Carroll did praise the way Williams handled his demotion the past two weeks: "He was a real pro. He was a real pro. He worked hard in practice and all of that, his attitude was excellent. It didn't change him at all. He was fine."
Williams, who previously played in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Tennessee, had started 74 straight games before Shead won the competition for the job. In 10 games this season, Williams had 46 tackles, four passes defensed and one sack, which forced a fumble that he returned for a touchdown in the season opener at St. Louis.
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